Robert Halmi Sr.

A larger-than-life showman who assembled nearly 200 film and TV productions in his first two decades in the business. Robert Halmi Sr is renowned for producing tasteful "prestige" productions for the...
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Veteran TV producer Robert Halmi, Sr. has died, aged 90. Halmi, Sr. passed away of a brain aneurysm at his New York City home on Wednesday (30Jul14).
He was a freedom fighter in his native Hungary and was once captured by the Nazis, jailed and sentenced to death. He managed to escape to the United States in 1951, and began his career as a photographer for major magazines including Life, Sports Illustrated, True and Outdoor Life.
Halmi, Sr. founded his production company, RHI Entertainment in 1979, and went on to produce more than 200 TV shows, including hit 1990s miniseries Gulliver's Travels, starring Ted Danson and wife Mary Steenburgen, The Odyssey with Armand Assante, Merlin, and The 10th Kingdom.
Although he only has one Emmy Award to his name for Outstanding Miniseries for Gulliver's Travels, the combined total of wins for all his projects comes to an impressive 136 Emmys and 480 nominations.
He was honoured with a Peabody Award for his body of work in 1998.

It's the last gasp for the February sweeps (running through Wednesday), and the mini-series "events" are coming fast and furious.
NBC leads the way this week with its ambitious test of our collective attention span, "The 10th Kingdom" (9-11 p.m. EST/PST, Sunday; 8-11 p.m. Monday; 8-11 p.m. Wednesday; 9-11 p.m. March 5; 8-11 p.m. March 6 ... See what we mean?). Executive producer Robert Halmi Sr., who has scored with some bold and nifty TV productions in the past ("Gulliver's Travels," "Merlin"), along with the occasional air ball ("Leprechauns"), seems to be taking a "bigger is better" approach this time around. More of a maxi than a mini, with a pretty slim story about a Central Park "vortex" that links Manhattan with the world of fairy tales, "Kingdom" looks to be a bit of a programming gamble. It might be a little too grown-up and lengthy for kids and a little too goofy (and lengthy) for grown-ups. The ensemble cast includes Kimberly Williams, John Larroquette, Dianne Wiest, Ed O'Neill, Rutger Hauer and Camryn Manheim. If you're hungry for fantasy, and "Kingdom" doesn't quite do it for you, hang on until Halmi returns this spring, with what looks to be a more "event" worthy production of "Arabian Nights" for ABC.
"A Perfect Murder, A Perfect Town" (9-11 p.m. EST/PST; 9-11 p.m. Wednesday), CBS's entry into this week's mini-series battle, also challenges the audience to stay interested. While "The 10th Kingdom" might seem like it has no ending, this four-hour portrayal of the JonBenet Ramsey murder and aftermath actually has no ending. Ronny Cox and Marg Helgenberger deliver admirable studies in subtext as the grieving parents or crazed murderers, since no one knows for sure who is what in this story. In the end, "Perfect" (our second JonBenet biopic of the month, after Fox's "The JonBenet Ramsey Story") is a dramatization of speculation about an unsolved murder investigation. This one might work better as a documentary.
Hoping to counter other programming that is either "heavy" or just plain ponderous, ABC jumps in with yet another multi-parter, "The Beach Boys: An American Family" (9-11 p.m. EST/PST Sunday; 9-11 p.m. Monday). It might be a long way to go, from humble birth to humble rebirth as one of rock 'n' roll's greatest bands, but the soap-opera-like conflicts between the Wilson and Love clans and the groovy soundtrack make for a pretty good ride.
Of the first-run productions offered this week, "Freedom Song" (7 p.m. EST/PST Sunday), another made-for-cable original from cable's TNT, might be the most worthwhile. The cable studio just continues to bring big star power to its projects. Danny Glover ("Buffalo Soldiers") returns to the TNT fold as producer and star, teaming with writer/director Phil Alden Robinson ("Field of Dreams") for this wrenching story of a young man trying to join a black voter registration drive in an early 1960s Mississippi.
In conjunction with "Sport's Illustrated's" continuing effort to convince the American public that a bunch of girls lying around in bikinis is actually a very rare sight worthy of major promotional tours, TNT offers "Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2000" (which actually premiered Saturday but encores Monday at 10 p.m. EST/PST). Of course, what has always set the annual SI swimsuit issue apart from the competition is the element of class that the magazine brings to the subject matter of "a bunch of girls lying around in bikinis." This year, SI classes things up a little more by presenting some of the pictures in 3-D (free glasses provided). The TNT show will be presented in the standard 2-D.
Speaking of class, it's "Greed" week on Fox. New episodes air Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday at 9 p.m. EST/PST. "Greed" is entertaining enough, but what's most interesting about this entry into the primetime game-show wars is that a contestant's stupidity can actually cost other people hundreds of thousands of dollars at a time. With its ability to crush self-esteem and generate real resentment among contestants, "Greed" is not exactly the "feel-good hit of the season," but it can get pretty dramatic.
And finally ... for fans of pop-culture documentaries such as VH-1's "Behind the Music," Fox offers "TV Guide's Truth Behind the Sitcoms" (8 p.m. EST/PST Fox). Romance, jealousy, drug abuse and racial tension on the sets of three 1970s staples -- "Happy Days," "One Day at a Time" and "The Jeffersons." Ladies, you might finally get an answer to one of that decade's most burning questions: "What is Anson Williams really like?"

The last time an epic fantasy miniseries came along, it was NBC's exercise in stamina "The 10th Kingdom." We suggested then that you wait until the next sweeps period for impresario Robert Halmi Sr.'s more promising "Arabian Nights" (8-10 p.m., tonight, and 9-11 p.m., Monday, ABC). Well, the sweeps are here again, and "Arabian Nights" has been worth the wait. Filmed in exotic Turkish and Moroccan locations, it features very cool and moody visual effects, and most importantly, a great story, er, stories, as "The Thousand and One Nights" of Middle-Eastern folklore has provided some of the most bulletproof material in entertainment for about 1,000 years now. The cast is strong and looks like they were having a lot of fun throughout, with Jason Scott Lee ("Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story") as Aladdin and John Leguizamo as the genie. "Arabian Nights" also features a very sexy narrator in Mili Avital as Scheherazade, the sultry weaver of the ancient tales. Fortunately, first-choice James Earl Jones was already booked. (He couldn't have pulled off wearing her outfits, anyway.)
In other highlights:
-- For anyone who was alive during the 20th century's most embarrassing decade, we all know that the last thing we need is to have any of the 1970s documented in an epic miniseries. Unfortunately, that's exactly what's happened in "The '70s" (9 p.m., today and Monday, NBC). It's the sideburn-heavy sequel to last year's mini "The '60s." Some of "The '70s" is, as you might expect, pretty "mellow," but much of drama in this film comes from an extended series of "hangups" and "bummers" ranging from Watergate to disco. Amy Smart ("Felicity") stands out as a possible breakout performer.
-- As the venerable "X-Files" (9 p.m., Sunday, Fox) perhaps winds down, the show proves it's still very capable of giving us a special episode. This week's installment might sound like a recipe for self-indulgence and disaster as star David Duchovny not only wrote and directed (remember what eventually happened to "M*A*S*H?"), but cast his wife (Tea Leoni) and his friend (Garry Shandling) in major roles. But you know what? It's a lot better than it sounds. "The X-files" has always been smart, even when it's being funny, and with Leone and Shandling guest starring as actors in a movie based on the work of Scully and Mulder, this pip of an hour continues the tradition.
-- Finally, two staples of quality teen/twentysomething programming deliver series farewells this week. In a satisfying two hours of closure, Fox's engaging study in angst, "Party of Five" (8 p.m., Wednesday), finally sees the Salingers go their separate ways after six seasons. Somewhere among the tears, alcoholism, terminal illness and more tears, "Party" also provided the launching pad for several present and future stars, including Neve Campbell, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Scott Wolf. We're sorry to see them go here but suspect we'll be seeing them all again. Meanwhile, "Boy Meets World" (8 p.m., Friday, ABC), the always warm and surprisingly intelligent teen comedy, ends its seven-year run with a special one-hour finale. Cory (Ben Savage) and Topanga (Danielle Fishel) are all grown up, married and moving to New York. It almost sounds like they are ready to start their own little spin-off.

Drew Carey is first out of the gate in this second full week of the May sweeps in the title role of "Geppetto" on ABC's "Wonderful World of Disney" (7 p.m. EDT/PDT, today). The classic family-friendly tale, best known from the 1940 animated classic "Pinocchio," gets a live-action makeover, being retold from the point of view of the puppet turned real boy's "single father." This musical production includes Julia Louis-Dreyfus ("Seinfeld") as the Blue Fairy and original songs from Stephen Schwartz.
And if that hasn't hooked you yet, try passing this up: Drew Carey sings!
In other tube highlights:
Jason London -- Sandwiched between last week's better-hyped "Arabian Nights" and next week's sure ratings-powerhouse "Jesus" comes this week's "Jason and the Argonauts" (9 p.m. EDT/PDT, today and Monday, NBC), based on the ancient Greek action hero. If this miniseries reminds you of another recent NBC mini, "The Odyssey," it should. "Jason" is yet another big-time production from sweeps guru Robert Haimi Sr. When you crank out as many epics as this guy does, the law of averages says, "Sometimes you hit, sometimes you miss." Well, after "Nights," Halmi seems to be on an epic roll (ugh, sorry about that), as "Jason," once again, delivers. This story has always been a crowd-pleaser as the young Prince Jason (played by Jason London) gathers a group of heroes (including Hercules in perhaps the big guy's first-ever major guest appearance) and goes off adventurin' on his ship, Argo. Expect neato special effects, big scary monsters, islands inhabited exclusively by hot babes and plenty of heroic ass kickings all around.
Wendie Malick -- After a return to the Top Ten (with a little help from a special airing after "Friends"), NBC's sometimes-good, sometimes-just-OK sitcom "Just Shoot Me" (9:30 p.m. EDT/PDT, Tuesday) offers up something terrific. The hazy details of the life of former supermodel/party queen Nina (Wendie Malick), who is often the best part of this show anyway, gets the spotlight in this spoof of A&amp;E's "Biography." Guest star Harry Smith helps document how the ditzy beauty Forrest Gumped her way through major events of the past several decades, including how she broke up the Eagles and caused the downfall of Studio 54. Clever guest appearances by Jerry Hall, Sydney Pollack and more add to authentic documentary feel of this great half-hour of TV.
-- Long-brewing romances are the order of the night Thursday as NBC offers special hourlong episodes of both "Friends" (8 p.m. EDT/PDT) and "Frasier" (9 p.m. EDT/PDT). "Friends" will continue to tease Chandler's impending proposal to Monica (revealed at the end of last week's show). And over on "Frasier," as Daphne's wedding day approaches, the pressure on Niles to "speak now or forever hold his peace" builds.
-- And finally, amid all the money being spent on special effects, Fox musters up Battle of the Child Geniuses: Who Is the Smartest Kid in America (8 p.m. EDT/PDT, Tuesday) and "Powers of the Paranormal -- Live on Stage" (8 p.m. EDT/PDT, Thursday).
Hosted by Dick Clark, "Child Geniuses" features gifted children competing in what is ominously billed as "the most intense game show ever devised." Fox can be frightening sometimes (and we aren't talking about "The X-Files"), but this show pretty much takes the cake. Is this battle of child geniuses to the death or what?
On the lighter, goofy side of "scary," "Powers of the Paranormal" serves up two hours of gratifyingly cheesy infomercial-quality programming -- the sort of stuff we've come to expect from Fox. This special promises "X-ray psychic vision … channeling … past-life regression" and more, performed "live" on stage. The producers also suggest that you could even have a paranormal event in your own home while watching! We say … really? Cool!

This week in TV offers something for everybody. Unfortunately it's offering it up all at the same time, so get your VCRs ready. But before we get to the actual column, we have an important fashion update. Last week, ABC's "Good Morning America" declared that dark solid shirts worn with dark solid ties underneath dark solid suits will now be officially known as the "Regis Look." So for every guy out there who just dropped a week's salary on a new suit … tough break, man. It's just not cool anymore.
George Clooney -- In his continuing efforts to apologize for "Batman &amp; Robin," Clooney brings us another cool idea for "live" television (the "live" episode of "ER" a couple years ago was his idea, too). "Fail Safe" (9 p.m. EDT/PDT, tonight, CBS), billed as a faithful remake of the 1964 big-screen classic "Fail-Safe," is scheduled to air live (on the East Coast, anyway) in glorious, retro black-and-white. The original film was a stark nail-biter -- about what happens when an American bomber gets the wrong code and heads off to nuke Moscow. Now, today's audience undoubtedly includes a percentage of folks who don't even know where Moscow is, much less why we might want to bomb it. But the fact that the show is "live" (meaning any swear words that might slip out or accidental nudity will be broadcast) ought to add to the tension.
-- On this programming-heavy night, TNT gets a one-hour head start to win an audience for "Don Quixote" (8 p.m. EDT/PDT). John Lithgow ("3rd Rock From the Sun") seems perfectly cast as the eternal, wacky, heroic dreamer. And TNT continues its tradition of bringing real star power to its made-for-cable efforts. The first name in television fantasy epics over the past few years, Robert Halmi Sr. ("Merlin," "Gulliver's Travels," and to be kind we won't mention "The 10th Kingdom" ... oh, oops) produced and Bob Hoskins ("Noriega: God's Favorite") co-stars, along with talented beauties Isabella Rosselini and Vanessa Williams.
-- For those of you who like your televised sports viewing to be as grueling an experience as you can possible, you might try the Discovery Channel's multi-night presentation of "Eco-Challenge -- Argentina" (9 p.m. EDT/PDT, today and Monday). Fifty-two international teams of adrenaline-junkies attempt to navigate a 197-mile course designed to keep Argentinean Search and Rescue crews on their toes.
-- A&amp;E's sometimes dull, sometimes fascinating "Biography" sounds like it's got a good one this week -- a two-hour episode profiling the cerebrally silly British comedy troupe Monty Python. If you don't know who they are, you don't need to watch and should skip down to the next paragraph. But if you are a fan: Today at 8 p.m. (EDT/PDT). (Nudge, nudge, say no more, say no more.)
-- If there's an opposite end of the documentary spectrum to Monty Python, it might be "American President," a cerebral but less-silly 10-part series profiling all 41 commanders-in-chief. PBS will air two one-hour episodes a night, starting today at 9 p.m. EDT/PDT and continuing through Thursday.
-- Somehow, that PBS documentary failed to mention the most exciting president of all -- the one who single-handedly thwarted a terrorist attempt to take over his plane, a la "Air Force One." Fortunately, CBS will cover this ground for us when they present "The American Film Institute Salute to Harrison Ford" (8 p.m. EDT/PDT, Wednesday). Expect comments and anecdotes from Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, a bunch of Hollywood stars and clips from many of the biggest films ever made crammed into this one-hour special.
-- And one other thing happening today (at 9 p.m. EDT/PDT), HBO presents the season finale of the most creative and clever show on television to fully embrace the "Regis Look," "The Sopranos."

Picked up an Emmy nod for Outstanding Miniseries for "The Odyssey" (NBC)

Captured by the Nazis in Poland and sentenced to death

Produced documentaries, mostly on nature and 'outdoors' subjects

Launched own production company, Robert Halmi Productions

Battled against the Communists as an agent for the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the precursor to the CIA

Formed a global partnership with BetaFilm (Kirch Group) in Germany, Silvio Berlusconi in Italy, CBS in the USA and major TV networks worldwide to raise the $40 million budget for the eight-hour CBS miniseries, "Scarlett" (1994)

Served as executive producer of "Noah's Ark", reputedly one of the most expensive TV projects ever

Published eleven books on subjects as diverse as African wildlife, world zoos, sportscars and "How to Photograph Women"

Executive produced the acclaimed NBC miniseries adaptation of "Gulliver's Travels"; won Emmy Award

Executive produced the sequel "Incident in a Small Town", again starring Walter Matthau

Executive produced "Cleopatra", a two-part ABC dramatization of the life of the Egyptian queen

Served as executive producer of the CBS remake of "Gypsy", starring Bette Midler

Became Chairman of the Board of Hallmark Entertainment

Was the executive producer of the Merchant Ivory production "Mr. & Mrs. Bridge"

Sentenced to death by the Communists for spying

Produced the CBS movie "Terrible Joe Moran", starring James Cagney

Executive produced "Snow White: The Fairest of Them All" (ABC) and "Prince Charming" (TNT)

Began working as a photographer

Sold RHI Entertainment, Inc. to Hallmark

Summary

A larger-than-life showman who assembled nearly 200 film and TV productions in his first two decades in the business. Robert Halmi Sr is renowned for producing tasteful "prestige" productions for the small screen, including numerous acclaimed telefilms and landmark miniseries featuring some of Hollywood's most respected players. In the 1980s alone, he produced projects that teamed such famous names as Peter O'Toole and Jodie Foster ("Svengali", CBS 1983), James Cagney and Art Carney ("Terrible Joe Moran", CBS 1984), Kirk Douglas and Brock Peters ("The Secret", CBS 1992), George C Scott and Ali MacGraw ("China Rose", CBS 1983), and Scott, Don Ameche and Sylvia Sidney ("Pals", CBS 1987). His RHI Entertainment built relationships with many of the industry's leading writers, producers, agents, managers, advertisers, agencies and TV networks and when he sold the company to Hallmark in 1994, Halmi assumed the position of chair of Hallmark Entertainment.

Name

Role

Comments

Bill Halmi

Son

Caroline Gray

Companion

born c. 1959 in Singapore; together since c. 1994

Bela Halmi

Father

official photographer to the Vatican and Austria's Hapsburg royal family

Sarah Halmi

Mother

Robert Halmi

Son

born on March 7, 1957

Education

Name

University of Budapest

Notes

"He's the most impatient person I've ever met and probably will ever meet." --Caroline Gray quoted in The Philadelphia Inquirer, November 28, 1999.

On his turning to the classics for inspiration, Halmi told The Philadelphia Inquirer (November 28, 1999): "I could say I want to bring literature to the American audience. But even though I am seriously and consistently shocked by the shallowness of American education, that's bulls--t."

Halmi has 25 different phone numbers at his various homes. He told Vanity Fair (October 1998): "No matter where I am, I'm on the goddamned phone."